starting to recede or it won't peak. it is dry this morning on live doppler. fog three mile visibility in livermore, fog in the east bay valleys, 3/4 mile thickest santa rosa where coldest, 37 napa, 38, 40 concord now, 48 fremont, san francisco 49, peninsula in the mid 40s down to san jose 44°. let's talk about today. partly cloudy, a little breezy at the coast, upper 40s to low 50s, the rest of us brief break from the rain mid 50s today, rain comes back tomorrow that quickly. >> keeping an eye on your christmas eve morning commute across the board light out there, let's get you starred with this live look at 80 in berkeley, more cars on the road now than we've seen throughout the morning, certainly no stopping, no traffic, moving on to the golden gate bridge, thisly

picture water droplets on the camera all morning, not raining per se out there and there are so few cars on the road as long as everyone takes their time and moves along, [ inaudible ] this morning, good news and worrisome news along the creek that divides palo alto and east palo alto. good news is the water level has dropped significantly from yesterday's peak this is a live look at the creek from the palo alto side. last night, that creek was much higher as it drained storm runoff from the san mateo county highlands to the san francisco bay. the worrisome news is the swift water may have caused damage to the left vies along -- to the levees along its banks. last night the creek topped over its banks and flowed on to highway 101, water made its way into east. >> after's garden subdivision flooding some garages. evacuations were order, hundreds of residents headed for higher ground to be safe.

evacuations were lifted overnight. napa river has crested below flood stage and receding this morning after a flood warning yesterday that prompted closure of downtown riverfront promenade as a precaution. workers scrambled to move mobile cottages to higher ground. locals were confident the river would not flood and they are right. today it is predicted to crest at 16 1/2 feet, 16 inches below flood stage. >> in santa cruz county, water rose so far, 40 families in the community of felton grove had to leave their homes. the san lorenzo river reached four feet over flood stage, a tree fell on power lines knocking out electricity to nearby tees, getting in and out of town was a challenge after heavy rains closed -- low sure of southbound highway 9 into paradise drive from felton the highway is once again open in both directs. weekend rain leading to

voluntary woodburning ban in christmas eve. the management district is asking people not to burn wood today saying the break in the rain will cause pollution to build up today and tomorrow, officials say reducing pollution levels today will avoid the need for a spare the air alert tomorrow on christmas day. mike will have the full forecast in just a few minutes. you can check live doppler 7 hd any time on abc7news.com. >> also we would like to you share your video or pictures send them to ureport, kgo-tv.com or on our facebook page facebook.com/abc7news also on twitter. 6:04. happening now, last minute toy drive underway in san francisco to make sure every child has a merry mass tomorrow. amy hollyfield --

[ inaudible ] >> reporter: there's a lot of festive noise here at lefty o'doul's we have a children's choir singing christmas carols great motivation for to you come down. look -- [ inaudible ] you can see the giants' world series -- trophy, there's a catch they want you to donate a toy they are hopeing to to get 15,000 toys by the end of the day. their barrels are a little empty, they've got a long way to go, some toys, a long way to go before 15,000. joining me is lee with lefty o'doul's. i haven't seen a rush of toys in the last hour. >> i'm very worried. there are 15,000 what we call forgotten kids that my friends in the police department and

the fire department were out on the streets, people that den get a chance to get their kids to the -- that don't get a chance to get their kids to the firefighter program -- [ inaudible ] >> reporter: we will be here monitoring these bins to see if they get fill up in time for christmas, firefighters and will be delivering the toys. come down to lefty o'doul's,

it is a lot of fun here. amy hollyfield, abc7 news. they are set up so you can just drive-by and drop off a toy at lefty o'doul's, location is 333 geary near powell. volunteers will be out until 1 in the morning tuesday morning, one tomorrow morning you have plenty of time. traffic and weather together, next. let's take a live look outside, san francisco bull embarcadero and bay bridge, -- beautiful embarcadero and bay bridge, mike will have the full forecast, also quick check of the morning commute. dire new prediction one d.c. lawmaker one week from the fiscal cliff.

welcome back. let's take a look at live doppler and satellite, a few radar returns over the ocean, a few clouds dry everywhere this morning. clouds getting thick in the form of fog around napa. getting a break our next system the screen to our west that means today is about it as far as dry weather. low to mid 40s through the morning, low to mid 50s from noon to 4:00, partly cloudy, babble in the low to mid 40s

by 7:00 under a partly cloudy sky. keeping an eye on the commute this morning, skardzly a commute to speak of. >> very few cars but still problems. this westbound 80 at university avenue in the berkeley area, there is an accident reported there it has been moved to the median or it is in the median and maybe causing delays there. another look 120 within between 116 and 37 in the north bay -- flooding there and we are told 121 is closed in that area start thinking about alternate routes. also 101 heading into san francisco from marin county, live shot, headlights heading towards us, guess what folks? not a problem. narry an issue here. 6:11, ahead, optimism vs. pessimism.

key factor likely to determine whether you are looking for to the upcoming new year. one week until we reach the fiscal cliff what president obama says he's willing to do to make sure a deal gets pushed through.

welcome back. without cloud cover three degrees cooler san francisco, fremont, 15 napa, 13 santa rosa, 12 livermore, 40 now 37 in napa and also santa rosa heading out to oakland, 43, 48 san francisco and 44 mountain view and san jose this afternoon partly cloudy, mid 50s breezy along the coast upper 40s to low

50s. next three days we have rain tomorrow afternoon into the evening scattered showers wednesday and a stray shower mainly dry thursday, in the mid 50s. 6:15. an afghan policewoman is in custody after officials say she shot and killed an american adviser outside police headquarters afghanistan's capital. kabul's governor says the woman entered a strategic and highly secure come upon in the heart of the capital and shot the adviser as he came out of a shop. a police official says the woman was able to enter the compound armed because she is a police officer. the adviser who was killed was a contractor whose identity has not yet been released. u.s. senator free on bond after being arrested on drunk driving charges near washington, d.c.. police in virginia say they stopped the idaho republican crapo early sunday morning after he ran a red light, he

failed a sobriety test and booked. he was released and he will be back in court january 4th. just released poll finds americans are generally optimistic about what is ahead in 2013. the poll finds 53% of americans are more hopeful than fearful about what 2013 will bring personally. however, political allegiances favor heavily into americans' outlook 75% democrats operate mystic only 25 -- optimistic only 25% republicans say they are optimistic. fiscal cliff a week away for the first time some lawmakers say we could go over. >> first time it is more likely we will go over the cliff than not if we allow that it will be the most colossal consequential act of congressional irresponsibility

in a long time. >> president obama remains in hawaii for christmas, says he will cut his vacation short to try and hammer out a deal. negotiations returned to square one last week after boehner failed to get support for his own plan. some say it is likely last minute negotiations will force them to stay on capitol hill on new year's eve. 6:17. let's find out what the weather going to be looking like. >> today dry for sure. one whole day, maybe half a day tomorrow. >> thank you. >> that's a giving spirit, isn't it? clear look from sutro tower towards the east bay hills, doppler still spinning waiting for that next storm to come from the wet tomorrow, right now it is quiet and that is good except for the fog

forming. russian river still have a flood watch for this at guerneville, going to peak at 5 o'clock tonight, a little over 30 feet, flood stage -- flood stage 32, good news in napa the river has ed peaked last night now starting to -- to fall and will continue to fall still in yellow where there's concern through the early evening hours today many once we get past that our next system has such little rain the forecast is calling for okay conditions for all of our streams, creeks, rivers. partly cloudy, dry today, wet and breezy christmas especially in the afternoon and evening mainly dry thursday through sunday. here's last night that system has pulled away, high pressure

obvious top of us now. in the same picture frame, you -- -- [ unintelligible ] partly cloudy day high clouds tonight fog will be less of an issue if you have to head out tomorrow morning. 7:00 in the morning not much mostly cloudy noon steady rain moves into the north bay by 3:00, steadier rain even moderate rain yellows up and down 80 from san francisco up to fairfield, by 5:00, more moderate rain in the south bay, by 7:00, back to showers and will remain showers overnight through wednesday morning showers taper late wednesday afternoon into the evening best rainfall amounts or highest i should say up to inch and a half mountains up to 3/4 north bay, up to half inch east bay and south bay, 3/4 of an inch on the peninsula, rain means more snow in the sierra.

rain likely tomorrow and into showery conditions wednesday thursday and sunday chance of showers for sure dry days will be friday and saturday. looking at traffic, in berkeley there is trouble, highway 80 an accident at university now reportedly a multi-vehicle accident at leave the number two lane blocked. possibly more. we are waiting for more updates. the chp is running a traffic break at this point. these are your mass transit, you need to know, no delays for bart or cal train, muni saturday service and ace train closed. live out to 80 in berkeley, you can see now a lot more cars on the road and some of that back-up, multi-vehicle accident there the number two

lane closed possibly more, we are keeping an eye on it. ahead, the last shopping day before christmas what to expect if you are heading out to bay area shopping centers this christmas eve. first, is a vacuum on your holiday shopping list? michael finney with the models coming out on top in a new

. welcome back. monday morning christmas eve, partly cloudy this afternoon, breezy along the coast upper 40s to near 50 most of the rain in southern california now where going to stay mid 60s there sierra will die the rain and snow, snow tapering now low 40s there 51 sacramento, 59 fresno, 47 near chico. here's the winter weather advisory tomorrow 4:00, to wednesday 4:00, 10 15 inches of snow above 7,000 feet. if you are getting ready to buy a new vacuum there are lots of choices. >> michael finney shows us which models clean best in a new consumer reports at the time. >> reporter: good morning. no one likes to call have you thought about how many miles you've vacuumed in your life? probably not. the consumer reports has.

in its latest test, testifiers vacuumed 16 miles of -- testers vacuumed 16 miles. vacuums are these days are stylish and sleek these are some of the 73 uprights consumer reports put through tough tests. >> from $80 to more than $1,000. >> reporter: the most important test how well a vacuum cleans carpet, a mix of sand and powder into a carpet, then testers use a weighted roller to push the dirt in then time to vacuum. some make big claims like this eureka suction seal. >> sharper clean. beats dyson. half the price. >> reporter: this eureka does only cost $160 compared to the

$600 dyson d.c.-41. but. >> both are mediocre at cleaning carpets, neither made our recollection denned -- recommended list. >> reporter: testers measured how much force you need to push and pull. consumer reports sizes up how easy i'ms for use by evaluating how difficult they are to carry and empty. for bagged uprights kenmore progressive $170. bagless uprights eureka air speed, $120 another best buy. both do a good job. consumer reports says canisters are easier to use on stairs and cleaning unfurniture, $300 kenmore progressive a best buy. model 21614. i'm michael finney, 7 on your

side. still ahead, developing news, why police say a man willingly jumped into a north bay creek and the search underway. procrastination nation. the large number of americans who still haven't finished shopping and the deals they are expected to find today. are you dreaming of a white christmas? head to the sierra. we'll tell you how much skiers and snow borders will find. >> reporter: i'm terry mcsweeney in palo alto, still concerns about flooding even though the rain has stopped, even though the creek has receded. i'll explain in a live report.

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good morning it is monday december 24th, thank you for start you are your day with us, especially on this holiday morning. live from our sutro camera. you can see clear skies also cloud cover that's why it is a bit warmer than it was this time last week. >> let's check in with mike. thank you. live doppler 7 hd showing you can put away the wet weather gear today, you can shop in ease, travel in ease as it is dry this morning. main concern fog, up in the north bay valleys now. mainly clear around the bay, mid to upper 40s through 7:00, near 50, a few clouds at 4:00, dry with low to mid 50s at 4:00, grab that coat cooler during the evening, low to mid 40s. inland neighborhoods foggy north bay, brighter this afternoon in the low to mid 50s. low to mid 40s by the time 7:00 rolls around. partly cloudy coast through

7:00, mid to upper 40s for you, top out around 50 from noon through 3:00, back in the low to mid 40s by 7:00, no rain here but in tomorrow's forecast i am first the news. -- >> keeping an eye on traffic, good news little bit of trouble there was this morning has cleared up. live to 80 in berkeley, a little congestion still you can see this is the most traffic we've seen on the freeway there, there was a multi-car accident which closed several lanes, only momentarily. a little bit of a back-up but the cars are moving again. live to the golden gate bridge, we can got get rid of moisture on the but it is not currently raining there are so few cars on the bridge so they are easley cruising to their destinations. -- developing news from the north bay, police in ross and

search and rescue teams have put search for a dui suspect on hold after he jumped into a frigid creek this morning he bolted from his car midnight officers were chasing him on along a trail near the college of marin an officer saw him jump into the creek. officers followed along until a swift water rescue team from the southern marin fire department arrived, the suspect either got away or drowned. they will resume the search at sunrise. on the peninsula, emergency officials keeping a close eye on the levees that tfplt m is live in palo alto. >> reporter: good news and not so good news. good news, the creek is really gone down quite a bit we do here a little before 4:30, we've been doing reports all morning. it is going down dramatically. but, the problem is not over.

last night the creek was overflowing and causing hundreds to be evacuated in the garden subdivision in east palo alto. again, no rain now, hasn't rained for many hours. creek going down. but, there is concern that the levee 600 feet worth of it, may have been damaged as a result of this strongly flowing water, last night the overflowing caused some to be evacuated here's what they were saying after. >> looked out the window i seen lights flashing i'm like what's going on? i looked and it was flooded. we started getting ready. >> reporter:00 feet of levee going to be -- 600 feet of levee is going to be inspected today, significant damage done the kind of thing that will keep some out of their homes or what measure might be needed we don't know until it can be inspected later today

this area is not a stranger to flooding. in 1998 serious flooding down here and there's state and federal money coming this way to try to solve that problem in the long term. terry mcsweeney, abc7 news. the weather is bringing lots of snow to the sierra here's a view from highway 80 at donner lake yesterday two tow trucks were the only vehicles on the road for a time this morning chains are mandatory on almost all mountain highways that means 50 and 80, the snow making skiers and resorts happy, several feet of fresh powder, the view is from heavenly mountain, this will be one of the snowiest christmases for the tahoe area in years. stay with abc7 news for continuing storm watch coverage, mike will have the full forecast in a few minutes. check live doppler 7 hd any time on abc7news.com.

if you still have gifts to buy, you may be in luck. deep as wait last minute shoppers on this christmas eve. kira klapper joins us with details. >> reporter: can you believe one in 10 people still have shopping to do? they might have a hard time finding parking today, but they will find some fantastic deals, retailers ready to slash prices with across the board discounts on clothing, toys and appliances. for clothing it is 40% off everything at american eagle and banana republic. kmart offering 50% off pajamas and robes. for the home, sears giving $90 off most popular tool sets. lowe's has 20% off vacuums and small appliances. electronics, toys "r" us has a buy one get one 30% off for video s. target a nook for $119, $20

target gift card in return. wal-mart selling ipad 3, $399, $30 gift card. phone 5, wal-mart offering $75 off. stores have extended hours to make sure all procrastinators get shopping done, cosby -- for all you risk takers willing to wait until tomorrow, walgreens is open all day. interesting fact, turns out we laid back west coasters are the biggest procrastinators out of the u.s., 79% of us plan to shop at the last minute. >> i don't think there is any plan that's the problem. >> that's true. i chose my words incorrectly, they are not planning and thereof shopping at the last minute. i've said it before, i'll say

it again, eric thomas, you are one of them. >> okay kira, thank you, talk to later. crab season delayed not because of the price, by quality, the body weight less than 25% meat, fish and game says it is ideal that a crab's body be at least 25% meat. the harvest was set to be ready by december 31st, the date has been pushed back to january 15th. traffic and weather together are next. live look outside, meteorologist mike nicco will have your full forecast. we will also check the morning commute. 9ers go down in defeat against the seahawks, it is not pretty.

let's look at live doppler over the last three hours you can see it has been quiet northwest flow bringing in dry air for today. we still have a lot of moisture in the ground leaking out in the form of fog, quarter mile visibility napa santa rosa, 2 1/2 novato patchy fog east bay hills and valleys. breezy along the coast upper 40s to low 50s. rain coming in the forecast tomorrow afternoon and evening, scattered showers wednesday and almost dry a stray shower possible thursday. :40. keeping an eye on the commute. >> sue has christmas eve off, let's take a look highway 121 between petaluma and napa, between 116 and 37 is closed due to flooding.

you have to think alternates to get around that right now i-80 in berkeley where there's congestion from a previous accident. all lanes are open, you can see there there are flares off to the left of your screen, looks like that traffic is having to merge into the mainline to get anywhere. look for delays there, even though traffic is nothing like what it would be on a normal day. we'll keep you informed. 49ers kicker acres has shutdown his twitter account after someone treat withed a death threat to him last week. the account of the person who sent the threat has also been deactivated. the threat started with an expletive then read: if you miss within more field goal you about to -- miss one more field goal you about to get your entire life ended. the accounts were deactivated before last night's game which

included a blocked field goal that the seahawks returned for a touch town. -- touchdown. significant number of kids saying they are getting bullied by adults, -- research found that verbal teasing was the move common form of bullying. ahead, last minute rush now to make sure bay area children have a merry christmas. trading underway on wall street. live look at the big bore. dow off 35 points, we go live to ellen at the new york stock exchange, next.

welcome back. here's a look at radar across the state, a definite tapering of that system from yesterday, no snow in the sierra, rain grapevine into socal mid 60s toe, low 40s tahoe and so yes, ma'ammy, break from the snow, 51 -- yosemite, break in the snow. 10 to 15 inches of snow above 7,000 feet, 5 to 10 inches at lake level. if you can get there today you will have more fresh powder tomorrow and the rest of week. the latest numbers on pg&e power outages a little more promising. thousands of bay area residents were left in the dark after weekend storms the numbers down to a fraction. majority of outages in north bay, 1500 homes and businesses

without power there. 300 on the peninsula. 200 in the south bay. in the east bay about 17 occurs without power this morning. -- 17 occurs without power this morning. this morning a sports bar wants to make sure children who aren't expecting anything get a special surprise. amy hollyfield is live at the lefty o'doul's where a last minute toy drive is . >> reporter: good morning. if you haven't given and you still -- still feel the need to help, lefty o'doul's is the place for you. stop by, bring a toy they have entertainment, lovely children's choir has been singing all morning. look there, they've got the world series trophy here and they say you bring a nice toy and you can have your picture taken with the trophy. just to give you an idea of

how important your toy can be i've got officer with me he plays santa on christmas morning with these toys. officer, you take the toy to the children. tell us about their faces. it is a great feeling we bring the toys to the kids, we have a bag the kids look in and goes i like that and we take it out and give it to them. greatest feeling. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: what is the need like here in san francisco? >> the need -- [ inaudible ] a lot of kids are unable to get the toys they like and we bring a lot of happiness to their faces. we'll be doing it again tomorrow among. >> reporter: hope you have a lot of toys. let's look inside the bin, it is looking okay but i see some empty ones, we've got room for toys, they are hoping to collect 15,000 toys by 1:00

tomorrow morning. they've got a ways to go they need your help we are on geary off union square, come in, do not let us block you here comes some toys now, excellent news we want to see more of this, very nice of you, 15,000 is what they are hoping, two more right there every little bit helps come down to lefty o'doul's all day the mayor will be here, [ inaudible ] you don't even have to park, they will make it easy, if you can give they hope you will come down to lefty o'doul's today. amy hollyfield, news that naught. if you with would like to help out, donate at lefty o'doul's next to union square, gear and powell, volunteers will be collecting toys until one tomorrow morning, you don't have to get out of your car. how are gun buyers and sellers dealing with the prospects of stricter gun control laws?

>> [ unintelligible ] len is live from the new york stock exchange. good morning. if you -- if you happened to see the hobbit this weekend, not alone the first of the three movies, was the top grossing film in the u.s. and canada for a second weekend over 36 million dollars in sales. speaking of sales, let's talk about gun sales. we know enthusiasts are concerned president obama is going to be behind an implementation of new gun control laws which would make it harder to get a weapon. folks have been flocking online, weapon sights with which matches buyers and sellers, some sellers require a background check most do not. that's because federal law does not require it for guns sold privately. let's look at what is happening in the markets.

19 minutes into the trading session, declines today, that going to add to the losses friday bloomberg index lower and the backdrop is what is happening or not in washington. get this, new tax established by affordable care act on medical devices from syringes to pacemakers may cause manufacturers to dodge requirements they register with the fda some companies could find ways to avoid listing devices that would be subject to fda approval to avoid the tax. experts say the fda may have to rely on complains from third parties to find out about -- companies that evading the requirements. ellen brightman, new york stock exchange. everybody is hoping the rain holds off, it holds off today, better part of tomorrow,

keep our fingers crossed. you can see some of the fog moving about this morning thickest north bay valleys, tiburon, belvedere over to about oakland this morning. clouds gone so is the rain, dry now rotating you can see it up there scan being the skies looking for that next storm from the west tomorrow afternoon. let's talk about right now. temperatures running mainly in the 40s and 50s out there. heads-up on guerneville and napa river, russian river guerneville and napa river at napa, for the most part crested starting to fall even with the extra rain i don't think there will be flooding concerns tomorrow into wednesday. 37 napa, santa rosa everybody else in the 40s, low to mid 40s monterey bay and inland.

partly cloudy and dry today. wet and breezy christmas especially afternoon and evening mainly dry thursday through sunday. here's a look at what happened while you were sleeping low pressure moved south that's why the rain is in socal. next system impressive, mature comma-shape to it, it will come in the form of high clouds after the sunset, tonight not as cool as this morning into the afternoon at noon, steady rain moving into the north bay, heavier rain during the afternoon heading towards the heart of the bay by 3:00, 3:00 to 6:00, moves to the south bay after about 7:00, it becomes lighter, steady rain overnight drizzle showers, more showers wednesday afternoon will taper considerably, late wednesday afternoon into the evening hours as that system pulls away. rainfall amounts impressive in our mountains up to an inch

and a half 3/4 north bay, peninsula up to a half inch in the east bay and south bay, temperatures hold in the 50s next two days for christmas eve and christmas day, slight chance of shower thursday and sunday, mainly dry thursday through sunday, for sure dry friday and saturday. luckily things are quiet, live look at the golden gate bridge besides the little bit of sprinkle on the lens, it is dry and traffic has been moving with well all morning. 80 in berkeley moving along nicely after what was a multi-car crash, stopped things for a little bit more cars on the road didn't look like everyone is anything to brake at this hour. ahead, five things to know before you go. the abc7 morning news returns in 60 seconds.

6:54. five things to know before you go: number one, live look at the creek in palo alto, water level has dropped dramatically from last night when the creek overflowed on to highway 101 into east palo alto. this morning crews will conduct levee inspections to check for damage. >> number two, 5,000 registered nurses are expected to walk off the job today in a one-day strike to protest proposed cuts in wages and changes in working conditions. sutter says hospitals with will use replacement nurses. >> number three, 49ers' kicker acres shutdown his twitter account after somebody tweeted a death threat to him last week. the account of the person who sent the threat, also deactivated.

>> number four, this is it. your last day to shop for holiday gifts before christmas. national retail federation reports 10% of shoppers have not finished their shopping yet. on the west does that number is 79%, -- all fating for the best deals and parking. >> number five, if you haven't given this holiday season and you want to make a difference in the life of a child head to lefty o'doul's in san francisco where a last minute toy drive is underway they are hoping to collect 15,000 toys. police officers and firefighters with will deliver them to children in san francisco tomorrow. mike has been tracking the storm one last quick look. it has moved out, we have a break. good morning. dry air, partly cloudy right now. temperatures colder than they were yesterday, if you are heading out for early deals, upper 30s santa rosa, napa, 40s for the rest of us. by the afternoon don't worry about the wet weather, think sunshine and sunglasses.

near 50 at the coast, mid 50s for the rest of us as we get a brief break from the rain. a live look at traffic, last look, highway 87 in san jose, light, moving along. >> let's check out the bay bridge see how traffic is moving there, light there all morning. light everywhere except i-80 in berkeley, there's the bay bridge toll, metering lights not on. worried about i-80 problem there is. abc7 morning news continues in 25 minutes with news, weather and traffic during "good morning america."

good morning, america. >> reporter: snow and record rains around the country, causing a massive travel mess on christmas even. tornados forecast if the south. sam is here with all you need to know to get home for the holidays. the cop who plunged into the icy water to save a woman. his bullet-proof vest threatening to bring him down. and wheel of misfortune. fans are calling their favorite show a scrooge, for